Adjustable corsage clasp and holder



y 1958 A. B. HOMAND I 7 2,843,899

" ADJUSTABLE CORSAGE CLASP'AND HOLDER Filed Feb. 7, 1955 W 101mm! 28 V IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent ADJUSTABLE CORSAGE CLASP AND HOLDER Arosa B. Homand, Los Angeles, Calif. Application February 7, 1955, Serial No. 486,587

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-5) This invention relates to an adjustable clasp and holder for corsages and the like and, more particularly, to a corsage holder which is readily manipulated to resiliently hold a corsage and to resiliently grasp a garment to which it may be attached such as a mink fur.

Prior proposed corsage clips and holders included pins to hold a corsage or bouquet of flowers and an enlarged piercing element to attach the clip to a garment. Dis

advantages of such prior proposed clips and holders included loosening of the corsage from said pins so that the corsage slipped out of a desired position on the garment, the clip with a garment piercing element was not readily adjustable, and such prior proposed corsage holders known to me were not capable of convenient attachment and use on heavy garments such as coats and furs.

The primary object of this invention, therefore, is to disclose a corsage clasp and holder which obviates disadvantages of prior proposed corsage holders and which embodies a novel construction and arrangement for holding a corsage and for readily attaching the corsage to a garment.

An object of this invention is to disclose and provide a corsage holder in which non-perforating clamping means are employed for attaching the holder to a garment.

Another object of this invention is to disclose and provide a corsage holder which is attractively designed and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of this invention is to disclose a corsage holder which is designed and constructed so that a corsage is resiliently held in the holder in a selected position.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose and provide a corsage holder wherein a resiliently held, selectively positioned corsage is virtually undisturbed when the holder is attached to a garment.

This invention contemplates a corsage holder which includes a pair of substantially similar grasping members positioned in cooperative relationship by a resilient means and limited against relative movement by means transverse thereto and extending through a member. The invention contemplates that each member of the pair be provided with at least two elongated spaced areas lying virtually in a plane of symmetry of cooperably related members, one of said spaced areas being adapted to be cooperably engaged by a corresponding spaced area on the other member to facilitate insertion and holding of a corsage and the other of said spaced areas being adapted to be cooperably engaged by the corresponding area on the other member to facilitate clamping of said holder on a garment.

A specific object of this invention is to design and provide a grasping member for cooperative relation with a similar member which includes three elongated, parallel spaced areas lying virtually in the same plane, a front face portion extending from a first area, a holding portion with a concave face extending between said first and second areas and a clamping portion of generally concave form presenting a rearwardly disposed, serrated edge constituting said third spaced area.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a corsage holder embodying this invention with a corsage held thereby.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the corsage holder shown in Fig. 1, the front face portions of the holder being fragmentarily shown.

Fig. 3 is a top view, partly in section, and including a phantom view of one member to show opening of the holder to facilitate insertion of a corsage stem in the holder.

Fig. 4 is a top view, partly in section, showing the pair of members in position for grasping a garment.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of a modification of the holder shown in Figs. 1-4- inclusive.

Fig. 6 is a top view, partly in section, of the modified holder shown in Fig. 5.

The example of this invention shown in Figs. 14 inclusive comprises generally a pair of similarly formed grasping members 10 in opposed relation and disposed about a plane of symmetry indicated by line S-S (Figs. 3 and 4). The pair of members 10 are resiliently held in cooperative relation by resilient means 11 girdling said members intermediate their ends. Means to limit relative movement of said members in planes parallel to the plane of symmetry S are generally indicated by transverse means 12 carried by one member and extending through the other member.

Each member 10 may be made as by stamping or pressing from a suitable selected metal. Each member 10 includes three elongated spaced surfaces or areas lying virtually in the plane of symmetry S and parallel thereto, the first of said spaced areas being indicated at 14, the second at 15, and the third at 16. A front face portion 17 extends forwardly and outwardly from said first spaced area 14. The front portion 17 may lie in a plane of between about 60 and to the plane of symmetry 8. In this example, the front portion 17 is shaped in the form of a butterfly wing so that when members 10 are in cooperative relation, the front portions 17 create the appearance of a butterfly. The front surface of the front portion 17 may be decoratively painted so as to create an attractive appearance. The front face portions 17 serve to cover the rearwardly disposed portions of the members 10 and serve to provide fingermanipulating means for the corsage holder. It is understood that front face portions 17 may be of any selected design, shape and configuration.

A holding portion 18 provided with a concave face directed toward the plane of symmetry S extends between the first area 14 and the second area 15. When the members 10 are in cooperative relation, the holding portions 18 define an elongated, hollow, openable tube which may be readily enlarged as later described to facilitate insertion therein of a stem of a corsage.

A clamping portion 19 of generally concave configuration extends between the second spaced area 15 and the third spaced area 16. The clamping portion 19 may include a section 20 transversely disposed with respect to the plane of symmetry S and which terminates in a serrated edge face at 21 which constitutes the third spaced area 16. It may be noted that the third spaced area 16 is spaced from the second area 15 a greater distance than the first area 14- is spaced from the second area 15.

Means to resiliently hold said members 10 in cooperative relationship and in assembly may comprise the resilient means 11 positioned in a region between the holding portion 18 and the clamping portion 19. The resilient means 11 in this example may comprise a resilient band such as an O-ring which may be expanded to slip over the clamping portions 19. The resilient means 11 resiliently holds the members 10 in assembly with the spaced areas of one member opposed to the spaced areas ofthe other member. As shown in Fig. 3, the opposed spaced areas virtually contacteach'other in assembled position of the members. It is understood, however, that the first and third spaced areas 14 and 16 may be slightly spaced from corresponding areas 14 and 16 on the opposed member if so desired.

'The means 12 for limiting relative movement of the members 10 in assembled position and in planes parallel to the plane of symmetry in this example may include a pair of spaced transversely extending elements 23 which may be stamped from the clamping portion 19 of one of the members adjacent to the holding portion 18. The other member 16 may be provided with a pair of spaced openings 24 between the clamping portion and holding portion to slidably receive therethrough the transverse elements 23. To further prevent disassembly of the members 10 and to limit opening of the clamping portions 19, each transverse element 23 may be provided with a bent end portion 25 which may contact as at 26 the clamping portion of one member to limit opening of the clamping portions. It will be readily apparent that transverse elements 23 limit relative movement of said members in planes parallel to the plane of symmetry.

The use and operation of the corsage holder of this invention is readily understood. A corsage is positioned in the holder by spreading apart the holding portions 18 by pressing rearwardly on the front portions 17. The third spaced area 16 serves as a fulcrum for said members 10 as shown in Fig. 3. The resilient band 11 is stretchable to permit separation of the two members at the second spaced area 15. The stem of a corsage may thus be readily inserted into the tube formed by the holding portions 18 and when the front face portions 17 are allowed to return to their normal position, it will be apparent that the stem of the corsage is resiliently and compressibly held between the holding portions 18.

After the cortage is selectively positioned in the holder the front portions 17 may be urged toward each other so as to separate the clamping portions 19. The opposed spaced areas 14 on each member rollingly contact each other and serve as a fulcrum for permitting opening of the clamping portions. It will be apparent from a consideration of Fig. 4 that the holding portions 18 again are slightly separated but not sufficiently to release their grasp on a compressible corsage stem. The serrated edges 21 of the clamping portions 19 may be engaged with a portion of the garment to whchthe device is to be attached and upon release of the front portion 17, the resilient means 11 urges the clamping portions into tight holding engagement with the garment.

The corsage holder is thus readily adjustable in position on a garment by merely squeezing the front portions toward each other and adjusting the position of the clamping portions with respect to the garment. The corsage during such adjustment is resiliently held by the holding portions in selected position with respect to the corsage holder.

In Figs. and 6 is shown a modification of the corsage holder described above in which the resilient means and means for limiting relative movement of the members in planes parallel to the plane of symmetry are virtually combined.

In Fig. 6, the members are constructed as described above with the exception that transverse elements 23 are not stamped from one member and with the exception that the clamping portions 19 are each provided with indentations 28 in the outer surface adjacent to sections 20. The indentations 28 position ends of a pair of resilient spring elements 29, said spring elements including rearwardly directed spring finger portions 30 interconnected by a transverse portion 31. The transverse portion 31 of each spring extends through aligned openings 24' provided in said members between holding portions 18 and clamping portions 19.

It will be readily apparent that the members 10 in this modification are cooperably related and coact in the same manner as the members 10 described in the first modification. The transverse portions 31 limit relative movement of the members in planes parallel to the plane of symmetry S, and the finger spring portions 30 urge the clamping portions 19 into clamping engagement while permitting their separation.

It is understood that the members 10 may be made of suitable metals such as aluminum alloy, silver, gold, bronze, of plastic materials, and may be decorated with precious stones. The resilient means to hold the members 10 in cooperative relation may include a band of resilient material such as rubber, synthetic rubber, neoprene rubber bands, tension coil springs, metal spring elements and the like. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration of each grasping member 10 may be varied. The spacing of the elongated spacedareas 14, 15 and 16 may be modified and the configuration of the front portion, holding portion and clamping portion. may be changed.

All of such changes which are within the spirit of this invention and which come within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

1. A non-perforating, adjustable clasp and holder for corsages and the like comprising: a pair of similar clasping members in cooperative relation about a plane of symmetry, each member being formed to present three parallel and elongated spaced surfaces virtually in the plane of symmetry; a front face portion extending from the first of said spaced surfaces and lying in a plane of between about 60 and to the plane of symmetry; a holding portion extending between the first and second of said spaced surfaces and presenting a concave face to said plane of symmetry; a clamping portion extending between the second and rearwardly disposed third spaced surface, said clamping portion being generally concave and terminating in a rearwardly disposed serrated edge constituting said third spaced surface; means positioned in a region between said holding portion and clamping portion for resiliently holding said members in cooperative relation with spaced surfaces of one member opposing the spaced surfaces of the other member whereby the members may pivot by rolling contact of said first spaced surfaces to separate said rearwardly disposed serrated edges for clamping; and spaced means extending in a direction substantially normal to the plane of symmetry from one of said members through spaced openings provided in the other member for limiting movement of one member with respect to the other in a direction parallel to the plane of symmetry.

2. An adjustable clasp and holder for corsages and the like comprising: a pair of similar clasping members of flat configured stock in cooperative relation about a plane of symmetry, each member having forwardly and rearwardly disposed elongated spaced surfaces virtually in the plane of symmetry; a front face portion extending from the forwardly disposed surface; a clamping portion extending forwardly from the rearwardly disposed surface; a holding portion interconnecting said clamping portion and said forwardly disposed spaced surface, said holding portion having a concave face to the plane of symmetry; and means. for holding said clasping members in assembly, said holding means comprising a resilient means cooperable with said clasping members between the clamping portion and the holding portion, there being spaced ports in at least one of said clasping members located between said clamping portions and said holding portions, and elements carried by said members extending through the plane of symmetry and through said spaced ports for cooperable engagement with a respective member to restrict relative twisting movement of one member with respect to the other member.

3. In a holder as stated in claim 2 wherein said elements include a transversely extending member stamped from one of said clasping members.

252,753 Fitzgerald I an. 24, 1882 6 Jordan Sept. 9, Brownley Dec. 24, Roark July 5, Leon Oct. 30, Linton Oct. 28, Schildt May 19,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain France Ian. 21, 

